Before beginning with today’s blog I want to go back to a verse I missed in the first go around and just saw as I was preparing today’s Bible study. In Genesis 15, verse 6 states: “And he believed the LORD; and the LORD  reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Abram was questioning God’s promise of an heir and was disheartened because he had not children, thinking that his servant would become that heir. God takes Abram outside and shows him the countless stars in the sky and reassures him that he will have as many descendants. And Abram believes God.  Because of his faith God deems him righteous. Despite our continuing to sin we have been deemed righteous in God’s sight, just like Abram. While as we have seen he continued to make bad choices after this event, God didn’t give up on him. It was because of his righteousness that he later can plead for Sodom and Gomorrah and is allowed to save Lot and his family. It is because of his righteousness that Sarah has a son. But Abram’s righteousness was not earned. He was not righteous because of his acts, he was made righteous because of his faith.

In Genesis 22 God puts this faith to the test. After everything Abraham has been through God tells him to sacrifice his son Isaac: Isaac, the only son of his wife Sarah, Isaac, the one who brought them laughter in old age, Isaac, the one God chose to carry the covenant. God asks for Abraham’s son.

And Abraham obeyed God: no questioning as he did on that night just mentioned; no bargaining as he did with Sodom and Gomorrah; no fudging as he did when he went into foreign lands. Abraham simply gets Isaac and the supplies for the sacrifice and takes him to the place God designated. Isaac questions Abraham about where the sacrificial animal is and Abraham answers in total faith “God himself will provide the lamb.”

As Abraham is standing over his son with the knife in his hand the angel of the Lord stops him and Abraham finds a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham has proven his faith and the Lord has provided as he said he would all along. Abraham names the place Jehovah Jireh “The Lord will provide.”

God reiterates his covenant with Abraham.  Does it seem that maybe God was starting to doubt whether in fact Abraham did believe? After all there were so many times that it appeared that Abraham did not trust in God’s provision. And yet when it counted, Abraham showed his faith. I think that because God had given the promised son, Abraham’s faith changed. After that he truly believed what he said he believed all along. It went from his head to his heart and even though it might mean giving up what he had wanted so long, Abraham didn’t doubt that God would keep his promise.

In Genesis 23, Sarah dies and Abraham buries her.

In Psalm 5 David is praying to God. He acknowledges that God does not tolerate those who perpetrate evil. He recognizes that it is through God’s steadfast (long lasting) love that he is welcomed by God.
He implores God to lead him in righteousness and allow the guilty to bear their punishment.

In Psalm 6 David is pleading for mercy from God because he has sinned. He pleads with the Lord for that steadfast love to deliver him. He has found himself in trouble. Even in the midst of his anguish he acknowledges that god hears his prayers and will deliver him.